By Debbie Vallandingham, LMSW-ACSW, Bereavement Manager Even as you face loss, the world keeps turning and time keeps ticking. It’s this time of year that it seems most noticeable. A new year carries special symbolism as many raise a glass to toast the end of the old and the beginning of something new and exciting. At the same time, the year end is often a time of reflection and remembering those we have lost throughout the year. History shows us that we have been celebrating the arrival of the new year for as long as 4,000 years, beginning with the ancient Babylonians. The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions is also an old one, which began during the reign of Julius Caesar. Although we no longer decorate our homes with laurel branches or celebrate like the Romans, we have made resolutions a big part of our festivities. As we move along our grief journeys, making resolutions is a tradition we should embrace, even if we have fears on what the New Year may bring. Some ...

Sage and Stephanie with Angela Hospice Director of Development Bob Alexander. Sage installed the Wii he donated in the Care Center playroom. Stephanie Bowers said she never wins anything – until now. It was actually October 25 that her ticket was pulled in the $1 Raffle at Angela Hospice’s Light Up a Life Auction & Gala. It was a bit of a fluke that Stephanie even ended up with a ticket. Construction had re-routed her trip to her regular grocery store, so she ended up at Busch’s in Canton instead, where Angela Hospice volunteers were just setting up their table preparing to sell raffle tickets. Her mother, Nancy Rafail, had just recently passed at the Angela Hospice Care Center. Stephanie and her mom, Nancy Rafail “The day she passed away we had like 15 people, almost the entire family got to be with her,” Stephanie explained. “And she still knew and communicated enough, and then she was like, ‘Nap, time for a nap.’ And we were like, ‘You rest now.’ I left and she passe...

These U of M Dearborn students presented a total of nine projects for Angela Hospice's social work and bereavement team to engage with young clients. Through a collaborative grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund, students from U of M Dearborn designed therapeutic art interventions aimed at helping children and teens who are coping with grief. On December 6, they demonstrated the projects for Angela Hospice staff, and presented custom project kits for Angela Hospice’s social work team to use in completing the activities with grieving children and teens. These students created a drum. The drum can be  decorated in the color(s) of the client's choosing and  can be played in different ways to express different  emotions. “The art projects that the students presented on were extremely creative,” said Sara Waters, a social worker in Angela Hospice's bereavement department. “Working with kids and teens, oftentimes they use art as a way to express their feelings. ...

     It's a question we hear often, and you may have wondered yourself. The simplest answer: it's about comfort . So you may not be surprised to hear that Angela Hospice has been piloting a Palliative Care program to expand comfort care to more individuals. The program has been officially greenlighted to expand its capacity.      "The idea of Palliative Care is to provide symptom management, the skill that hospice has, to a patient population beyond the last six months of life," said Chief Medical Officer for Angela Hospice, Dr. James Boal. "There may be people who are not hospice eligible according to Medicare/Medicaid guidelines, but still want a community-based approach — or there may be people who are perfectly eligible for hospice, but they're a little too nervous to sign up for it yet."      Palliative Care also offers a way to provide continued support for Angela Hospice patients who must be discharged from hospice care if their cond...

      Justin Eades didn't believe in soulmates...until he met Noelle Mayer.      It was June 17, 2018, and Justin and his family were at the Angela Hospice Care Center where his aunt Rebecca was being admitted. Just down the hall, Noelle was with her grandmother, Viola DeFelice, for their Tuesday night tradition, watching America's Got Talent .      After six months of visiting her grandmother nearly every day, the Care Center felt like home to Noelle. She remembers she was wearing sweatpants that day and had thrown her hair up in a bun, but Justin thought she was adorable.      "She was very noticeable," Justin said. "Very cute, very rushed." Plus her grandmother kept yelling her name whenever Noelle would leave the room.      "It wasn't appropriate for me to be like, 'Hey, can I get your number?' I don't even think she would have heard me," Justin said. "She was like the Energizer bunny every time she wal...

How does life change for a 28 year old when they begin hospice care? According to Chelsea Williams, things haven’t changed much at all. “When you have the little ones, you just keep trucking,” Chelsea said, having just returned from an appointment at her kids’ school. When she learned last March that she had cervical cancer, she went through chemo and radiation, but she said she mostly did that for her mother Penny’s sake. “When you first find out, you want to at least, I guess, give it your shot, your round,” Chelsea explained. And she said she didn’t want her mom to wonder “what if....” Chelsea zip-lining in Jamaica. When Chelsea completed her treatment, her grandmother sent her, her mother, and sisters on a celebratory cruise to Jamaica, where they climbed to the top of the Dunn’s River Falls, and zip-lined their way back down. But when they returned home, there was bad news waiting. The cancer had metastasized to Chelsea’s lungs and bones. “But I don’t feel any diff...

by Debbie Vallandingham, LMSW-ACSW Angela Hospice Bereavement Manager Debbie Vallandingham and therapy dog Piper We grieve all year long, but there is something that is different at the holidays. This is a time that is filled with memories of celebrations of old. The holidays are also known for gratitude, charity, and giving to others. Yet, those who are grieving often feel overwhelmed by memories. They feel the pain of loss and often feel guilty for dwelling on their emotions. Those grieving can find themselves exhausted trying to fill the demands of cleaning, cooking, baking, shopping and decorating In grief at this time of year, we are at risk of being lured into excess, whether it’s eating too many cookies or feeling tired after one too many drinks. Tackling the holidays without a plan can be difficult. But as you prepare, you should consider the Twelve Tips of Holiday Grief: 1) Everyone grieves differently. Whatever you think “normal” is – throw that out of your mind...

When you purchase the Gift of Giving Ornament for $7.99 at Little Green Apple Hallmark, Angela Hospice will receive a donation, plus you'll get 20% off of your entire in-store purchase – including items not normally discounted like Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, Pandora, and Vera Bradley! Our friends at Little Green Apple, located at Six Mile and Newburgh in the Busch's plaza, are offering this special deal from  Tuesday, November 26th to Sunday, December 1st.   (Closed Thanksgiving Day) So stop by and  pick up this cute ornament – the gift that gives back! 37331 Six Mile Rd  (Corner of 6 Mile Rd. and Newburgh in Livonia)  734-542-9320 Limited time offer. While supplies last.  May not be combined with other offers or promotions. See store for additional details.  

We were pleased to have the opportunity to honor our Nation's veterans at a special ceremony held at the Care Center this Veteran's Day. Care Center resident Phillip Swan, a Navy veteran, was in attendance as staff members and guests thanked him for his service, and celebrated with patriotic songs performed by our music therapist, Heather Dean. Deacon Jenny Ritter led the group in prayer, and then Teri Schmitchen, director of volunteer services and coordinator of the We Honor Veterans program at Angela Hospice, read the following: When Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” almost 200 years ago, he called America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Those words are as true today as they were then. Throughout this Nation’s history, America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coastguardsmen have bravely answered the call to defend our freedom, to aid our friends and allies, and to turn back aggressors. We can never fully repay our debt o...

Angela Hospice Celebrates November  as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month Throughout the month of November, Angela Hospice joins organizations across the nation in recognizing National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. For more than 40 years, hospices have helped provide comfort and dignity to millions of people, allowing them to spend their final months at home, surrounded by their loved ones. Hospices ensure that pain management, therapies, and treatments all support a plan of care that is centered on the patient’s individual goals. This care also provides emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers, and adjust to the future with grief support for over a year. Angela Hospice volunteers circa 1986. “It is essential that people understand that hospice and palliative care is not giving up, it is not the abandonment of care, and it is not reserved for the imminently dying,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Ho...

It’s difficult to cope with the loss of a loved one, especially around the holidays. Our grief support staff offers holiday workshops that may help. Children’s Holiday Workshop (Ages 5 -12) Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, 2 p.m. -4 p.m. Children will have the opportunity to make a holiday wreath in memory of their loved ones during this workshop. Materials are provided, and participants are welcome to bring any extra photos or trinkets of significance to include in their project. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Pizza and beverages will be served. For more information and to register, call Debbie Vallandingham at 734.464.2683 by Friday, November 29. This workshop is free-of-charge and open to the community. It will be held at:  Angela Hospice Care Center, 14100 Newburgh Road, Livonia, MI 48154

Lisa Udell talks about her role as an Admit/Float Nurse and tells us what has kept her at Angela Hospice so many years If you ask Lisa Udell how she got involved with Angela Hospice…well, it’s kind of a long story. Over the past 14 years, she’s worked in a variety of roles within the agency. She’s was a medical assistant, assistant to the home care clinical manager, and an aide scheduler. She’s been on the administrative and hands-on side of patient care, working full-time, part-time, and then contingent as she pursued her nursing degree. After completing her BSN in April 2019, she’s taken on another new position with Angela Hospice as an Admit/Float Nurse. Lisa said she likes her new position, especially when she is able to see the transformation that can happen. That’s why she even likes the tough visits. “Part of the position is going in and doing those visits when there is kind of a crisis going on, and the family is overwhelmed, typically, and they just don’t know what to...

Angela Hospice Music Therapist  Heather Dean by Heather Dean, MT-BC On Thursday the 17th I received the most sorrowful phone call from my father. My grandmother Frances (Frankie) Dickson had passed. Although I was expecting the news any day, it still felt like a shock to my system. I was in the B Wing office when I heard the news, so I quickly dashed over the admin side of the building so I didn’t “lose it” in front of any of our dear patients. What a blessing to work in hospice where I was greeted with hugs from a social worker, two volunteer coordinators and a spiritual care worker! I ugly cried and took a long walk. I contemplated whether I should come to work the next day. Obviously this was not going to happen after “grief brain” had set in. I made a pot of lentil soup with no lentils. I left toast in the toaster and couldn’t figure out why I was so hungry. This is all normal, but also a big sign that I needed rest and to do my grief work. I thought, what would my gran...